


Knock You Down

by russiaeats1cake



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Awkward Romance, Brother Feels, DSOD, Depression, Drinking to Cope, Friendship, I wanna kiss you but I also wanna punch you, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Struggling with Sexuality, Violetshipping, drinking buddies, potential eating disorder, puppyshipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-06 02:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18379040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/russiaeats1cake/pseuds/russiaeats1cake
Summary: Prequel to Path of Most Resistance: How did they get to this point? They didn't even like each other before, and now they were spending evenings together with Mokuba, like some dysfunctional family… Post-DSOD, violetshipping kaijou fluff





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a song from way back. It's a very hetero song, but the sentiment is applicable. This is a prequel to a story I have already written called The Path of Most Resistance. If you wanna check it out, please do! Originally posted on FF.net, but I'm transitioning to AO3 completely. Soon, all of my work will be on this site, and FF.net will be a memory.

 

Chapter 1: Status Quo

Kaiba Seto had rarely done it, but when Jonouchi Katsuya said that he'd always be second best, he lost it. It was true that Kaiba could never regain his title as top duelist from Mutou Yugi, but why so soon to point it out? It had only been a year since graduation, since the pharaoh. On the eve of a tournament, highly publicized with high profile duelists like Jonouchi, Kaiba kicked the blond out of the tournament. He didn't care what Jonouchi's sponsors would say to him. He just wanted Jonouchi out of his face and licking his wounds.

So maybe he had gone further with it, calling Jonouchi a hack, but people knew that this was the typical way of Kaiba Seto. But the disappointed eyes of his younger brother Mokuba were not what he wanted to see at the moment.

"This is just petty, Seto," Mokuba said, sitting cross-legged in the car next to Kaiba. They were on their way to the tournament. Kaiba would not be competing.

It was as if Mokuba didn't know him. Kaiba could afford to be petty, though he hadn't anticipated Jonouchi's fanbase to be so large and vocal.

Kaiba didn't look up from his phone. He continued scrolling through emails, answering them. He said, "Put your seatbelt on, Mokuba."

He heard a click.

"Jonouchi needs to learn to watch his mouth. There are consequences to pissing people off."

"Sounds like someone I know," Mokuba said.

Kaiba paused mid-scroll and tossed a glance at Mokuba. He decided that he wouldn't dignify it with an answer.

The car slowed to a stop, and after a moment, the car door opened for the brothers. They stepped out and walked down the pathway to the arena. Kaiba kept up his pace, aware of Mokuba's growth spurt. He was now up to Kaiba's shoulder and could keep up with his long strides. More than he was able to just a year ago. They entered the building to see Jonouchi with registration arguing his heart out.

"This is ridiculous. He can't just kick me out."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jonouchi, but I've been told that your name has been removed from the list," said the man at the desk.

Kaiba smirked to himself.

"It's not funny, Seto."

"I wasn't laughing."

Jonouchi sighed dramatically and messed up his hair, turning to see Kaiba and Mokuba. His eyes instantly narrowed at Kaiba. Good. He knew. And just like the mongrel he was, just like Kaiba expected, Jonouchi marched over and jabbed his finger into Kaiba's chest. Kaiba dropped his smirk and gave Jonouchi a deadly look.

"What's wrong, deadbeat? You can't participate in the tournament?"

"Shove it, asshole. Didn't realize you were so damn petty. Is your ego  _that_ fragile?"

Kaiba snorted. "Last I checked, dogs can't play card games anyway. I did you a favor. Seeing you duel would've been a joke."

Anger flashed in Jonouchi's eyes. The look, and others similar to it, was something that Kaiba always enjoyed getting from him. Knowing that someone felt so affected by his actions was gratifying. Kaiba smirked again.

"Why you-" Jonouchi lunged at Kaiba, but Yugi wedged himself between them.

"Jonouchi, it's not worth it."

Honda appeared behind the two and grabbed the back of Jonouchi's jacket collar. He said, "You're not helping yourself this way, Jou."

The words had some sort of calming effect on the blond. But that just wouldn't do. Kaiba said, "Yes, mongrel. Listen to your masters. You don't want to be sent to the pound, do you?"

The three men gave Kaiba a glare.

"Look, Kaiba. I know you like getting your rocks off tormenting Jonouchi, but this is humiliating," Honda said. "People  _expect him_  to attend this tournament."

Kaiba tensed. He didn't appreciate the comment. The mutt wasn't important enough to give that kind of energy to. His ears burned a little as he said, "And I expect respect from all duelists attending these tournaments. Jonouchi was Jonouchi. And he got kicked out of the tournament. Surprise."

"Kaiba," Yugi, who had grown a few more inches, said. "Is there anyway you'd reconsider?"

"And why would I want to do that?"

"I think what Seto is  _trying_ to say is that, at this point, it's a bit too late for  _another_  change. I'm sorry, Jonouchi, but you just have to sit this one out."

Kaiba could feel Mokuba's eyes on him.

"Unless my brother thinks he can make something work…"

"Nothing I can do anymore," Kaiba said. He started down the grand hall to the arena.

"Well, then if he can't compete, he , Honda, and Yugi can watch with us," Mokuba said. "Sound good, guys? We have the best seats in the house."

Kaiba twisted around and shot Mokuba a look. "I'm sure they have their own seats."

"It's okay, Mokuba. Wouldn't want to breathe your brother's air," Jonouchi said. "Let's go, guys."

Yugi sighed, shaking his head at Kaiba. Honda and Jonouchi had walked off. "I don't know what you have against Jonouchi, but it's go to stop. We both know he's a talented and strong duelist and knocking him out of tournaments because he says something you don't like is ridiculous."

"He'll get over it. There are other tournaments."

"Sure. But I was hoping that you could move beyond rivalry like you did with me."

"There is no  _rivalry_ between me and Jonouchi." Kaiba rolled his eyes at Yugi. "And as far as I'm concerned, you are a consultant to my company and nothing more. We're not friends. Our only relationship is a business relationship, nothing more."

"That's fine. Just give Jonouchi some slack." Yugi turned away and walked off.

"Come on, Mokuba." Kaiba turned and walked in the opposite direction of the three men.

'Give Jonouchi some slack'. That was a ridiculous notion. If anything, Kaiba was thrilled by the idea of Jonouchi sitting on the sidelines of a tournament that he probably would have won. He liked thinking of the blond fuming and having the competition rubbed in his face while other duelists and fans sat watching him at the sidelines. His absence in the duels would be obvious. Jonouchi was, after all, in much of the advertisements, and to not even be in the tournament itself...Some fans would be disappointed, but in the dueling circuit, Jonouchi would be the laughing stock.

The unfortunate thing was that the tournament was a complete bore without the blond duelist. Neither Kaiba nor Yugi had signed up, and there were other veteran duelists who were unable to make it. The tournament had become amateur hour. He probably did Jonouchi a favor, though he did deny him the chance at the prize money and a potential sponsorship, though the hot head already had a contract. Like he told Yugi though, there were other tournaments. Probably ones that were more challenging for Jonouchi.

Next to Kaiba, in their private viewing area, Mokuba shifted and sighed. Since turning sixteen, the kid had become more vocal about his distaste with how Kaiba treated other people. He had also pushed to become more active in the expansion of Kaiba Corp. much to Kaiba's concern; he needed to focus on school and then a university. Kaiba loved the idea that Mokuba had an increased interest in the business, in potentially remaining by his side, but the reality was that Mokuba needed his own path, not the path that his older brother had made for the both of them.

"Seto, I don't understand why you can't be nice to Jonouchi. What has he done wrong?"

"He's an idiot. Need I say more?"

"If he were an idiot, he wouldn't be doing so well in tournaments. What else?"

Mokuba had a point. The game required some ability with thinking through strategy and analysis, but it was hard to give Jonouchi too much credit since he still used that ridiculous gamble deck. Kaiba racked his brain for something else, but he couldn't think of anything. If anything, as Mokuba was hinting at, he should be some sort of friend to the blond. After all, he had shown himself to be a true duelist, and he had helped Mokuba numerous times. Kaiba should have felt indebted to Jonouchi, but that would be admitting that to some extent he liked the mutt and there was no way he was going to do that.

"Nothing? So it's just an irrational dislike."

"Nothing I do is irrational."

"Then prove it. Prove that there is something about Jonouchi that is so reprehensible that you have to treat him like dirt," Mokuba snapped. He looked at Kaiba earnestly. "I bet that you won't be able to find anything that validates your behavior."

Kaiba huffed. He had nothing to prove. His dislike for the mutt was valid, though at the moment he couldn't think of a reason that would pass Mokuba's inquiry.

"Look, we have a dinner with Yugi in a few days. Let's invite Jonouchi, and then you can show me how awful he is."

"Mokuba, that's supposed to be a business meeting."

"Jonouchi has been using our new duel disk in tournaments. I bet he has feedback."

"I doubt it would be useful…"

"We can be the judge of that when we hear it," Mokuba said. He already had his phone out, clearly texting Yugi.

Mokuba could be a real brat sometimes, but, then again, he knew how to get what he wanted, a quality that was valuable.

"I'm also saying that we're paying for dinner, since we owe Jonouchi."

Kaiba glowered. He was not looking to make an investment in some loser.

"And…" Mokuba's phone pinged. "Both of them are coming."

Kaiba cursed how meddlesome Mokuba and Yugi were. Couldn't they just allow them to maintain the status quo? There was absolutely no way, absolutely no way that he and Jonouchi would climb over this obstacle. There was just no way.

**This was short, but I wanted to take this a little slow. There are a lot of changes (hopefully positive) going on right now in my life, and I don't want to burn out. Let me know what you think! As always, review if you'd like. And don't forget to read The Path of Most Resistance if you haven't!**

**S**


	2. Getting To Know You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am currently in the progress of moving from FF.net to AO3 completely. This fic has been on there for a bit, so I'm just posting the chapters here at a steady pace. Should be caught up soon.

Jonouchi adjusted his navy blue tie, its light blue specks popping with his matching button-up, and then pulled on his plaid gray blazer. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He felt out of his element. Rarely did he dress up, let alone wear khakis for dinner; it just increased the chance of food stains showing. He walked to his bathroom, the only room in his new apartment that was completely unpacked, and he gave himself a once over.

Was it good enough? Jonouchi didn't want to feel judged, but that was what he was going to get with Kaiba-in disgust or in a snide compliment.

Jonouchi ran a hand through his blond locks. They wouldn't be tamed tonight no matter how hard he tried. He eyed his hairbrush on the countertop but sighed. What was the point? He needed to prepare for the worst. He took out his phone and shot a message to Yugi. Maybe he could get a drink before anyone showed up. He could afford it now with his sponsorship-the sponsorship that was pissed to see him sit the sidelines for the tournament. Jonouchi left the bathroom and grabbed his keys from the kitchen countertop. After giving an appraising look, he left the apartment. Living in such a clean and large space was a real culture shock for him. It was all his. As he descended the stairs of the complex, he felt a nag of guilt eat at him; his father had been stubborn and refused to leave their home, calling the new apartment a 'little pissy missy jack-off house'. Jonouchi hadn't been sure of what to think then. He had wanted to move his father away from his vices and debts, but after one too many muggings and one missed tournament due to injuries for a father-son encounter, he had to call it quits. At least here, he was close to Yugi and had easy access to public transit to get to his father. He was still nervous of actually being alone.

Stopping at the carport, Jonouchi considered whether or not biking to the restaurant was a good idea. He thought about the look on Kaiba's face. Probably pinched, sneering. A part of Jonouchi liked getting a rise out of him, but another part didn't want to be looked down on, especially by Kaiba. He turned away from his bike and hopped onto the next bus to downtown. When he arrived at his stop and made it to the restaurant, he was thirty minutes early. He made a beeline for the bar and ordered an old-fashioned using his fake ID. At long last, he received a text back from Yugi. The spiky-haired shorty was on his way now. This message was riddled with apologies for not seeing them sooner. Jonouchi smirked into his drink.

"You actually came," Jonouchi heard Kaiba from behind. He bristled at the sound and turned to him and Mokuba. He avoided looking at the older brother; he felt his blue eyes piercing him.

Before Kaiba could say more, Mokuba jumped in. "Come join us. We have a table." To the bartender, he said, "We'll get his drink."

They all settled uncomfortably at a table. Again, Jonouchi felt Kaiba's eyes on him.

"So," Jonouchi said. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is this some power move to arrive this early?"

"I don't need to make power moves. You on the other hand..."

Jonouchi saw the brothers share a glance. Kaiba mirrored Jonouchi but turned his eyes away from him.

"Forget it. It's better to be ready early in case anything unexpected comes up."

"Yeah. We shoot for fifteen to thirty minutes. Anything more than that is…"

"Excessive," Kaiba finished. It was almost a hiss.

"Oh. Okay."

An awkward silence. Jonouchi played with his glass. He wondered where Yugi was. If his friend was aware of Kaiba's policy. Probably. Yugi was pretty observant. He glanced up at the brothers. Kaiba had just received a drink-a whiskey-and Mokuba looked just as uncomfortable as Jonouchi felt.

Jonouchi inhaled deeply. "So, why did I need to come? I'm not involved in Yugi's game at all."

"Oh, we didn't want to talk to you about that," Mokuba said brightly. "I was hoping you could give any feedback at all about the new duel disks. They've been out for a bit, and we're always looking to improve it. And you've been using it a lot lately."

So he wasn't just there for Kaiba to stare him down judgingly. And they actually wanted his thoughts on a product of theirs. Surely, this was Mokuba's idea. Jonouchi couldn't imagine Kaiba valuing his opinion that much or at all even. He shrugged. He said, "What do you wanna know?" without really wanting to answer. Wouldn't his feedback just be laughed off by Kaiba? Mokuba had a say, some influence, but Kaiba was the final decision-maker. He chanced a glance at Kaiba, who looked intensely at Jonouchi; there was no telling what was going on in his mind.

"Anything, really, Jou," Mokuba said. "Right, Seto?"

Kaiba broke his gaze from Jonouchi and drank from his glass. He said, "Whatever the dog has to say…"

Kaiba fell silent as Mokuba shot daggers at him. Jonouchi wondered just what had he walked into. It was like Kaiba was on a tight leash.

_Here I go_ , Jonouchi thought, and he finished his old-fashioned. He said, "First, I just wanna say that the holograms are still top quality. The disks are light and easy to handle, but…" He saw Kaiba tense. Yep, this was all Mokuba's idea. He pushed onward. "But I don't know how user-friendly it is."

He braced himself from a biting remark from Kaiba, but when he heard nothing from the CEO, he looked up. Kaiba sat stiffly, glaring. He  _looked_ like he was biting back something nasty, but he inhaled deeply from his nose and exhaled. Kaiba said, "And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?"

"Trying to teach a kid how to use it is damn near impossible. Not all kids are as brilliant as you two," Jonouchi said. He tried not to sound snarky, but he saw Kaiba bristle anyway. "I think that the new duel disk is kind of divisive. You have the people who can afford it and the people who can't. And then you have the people who can figure it out and the others who can't. Kinda risky to produce something that is over the heads of a target audience."

Kaiba opened his mouth, but Jonouchi cut him off. "And don't start with the manual because the general public does  _not_ read it."

Mokuba laughed. "Yeah. Seto has a lot of expectations of our consumers. But what do you think?"

The question was directed at Kaiba. And for a moment, he looked stricken, like he had no clue of what to say. He sipped at his drink and then swished it around. He said, "It is possible. We shouldn't get too focused on the advances and leave everyone else behind."

"Yeah, Seto. You may just be getting a little too ahead of yourself."

"I said 'possible'." Kaiba absently drank at his whiskey.

Jonouchi smirked and said, "Well, you wanna make sure the average Joe can be included. Do you think these changes will lead to price changes?"

"That all depends on the cost of development and production," Kaiba said. There was a look of disinterest in his eye now. Jonouchi hated it. At least when he was berating him, Jonouchi knew there was some acknowledgement. When Kaiba was distant like this, it very well meant that Jonouchi didn't exist to him. Like he wasn't worth any attention at all, which was frustrating since he was the one whose life was disrupted by this stupid dinner.

_Free food,_ Jonouchi told himself. Everything would be better with free food.

"What Seto means is that it probably means there will be changes-oh, look! There's Yugi!" Mokuba waved him over, and Jonouchi felt the presence of his friend next to him.

"I did get the time correct, right?" Yugi said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, we all just happened to be running ahead of schedule, right,  _Seto_?"

"Yugi."

"Kaiba."

There was a silence between them that Jonouchi couldn't place. It wasn't tense like all the other times they were near each other. Kaiba seemed to sink into acceptance with Yugi's presence. His combative behavior had dropped. Maybe Yugi had finally got through to him somehow. Jonouchi couldn't help but feel jealousy. He was tired of fighting with Kaiba. A nice comfortable silence seemed nice between the two of them.

They all ordered their food, and Kaiba and Yugi started talking about the process of the game development. Jonouchi wondered why this couldn't have been done via email. The two were talking about some game mechanics that Jonouchi already knew he had to know the basic rules to understand. It was a secret language that even Mokuba knew. Again, he felt a tinge of jealousy. Since when did Kaiba seem at ease-as at ease as he could possibly seem-with Yugi. His friend had a charm about him. But even more so-Yugi laughed out loud at something Kaiba said, and Kaiba had a ghost of a smile on his face-when did they become friends? Even though Kaiba seemed to be in denial of the friendship, there was obviously comradery. Jonouchi fought the urge to slouch in his seat. There had been few to no snide remarks from Kaiba, so he didn't want to ruin the streak.

"Jonouchi, what do you say? I'd love for you to test out the game when it's ready," Yugi suddenly said.

Jonouchi jumped in his seat and scanned the table. All eyes were on him. He struggled to keep his eyes from meeting Kaiba's intense look. Did he always have to be so severe and vigilant? Clearing his throat, Jonouchi threw a smile on his face and said, "Well, of course. Whenever it's ready, just let me know."

"Great. And it's not on volunteer basis. Kaiba Corp. will pay for your trials with it in its development," Mokuba said. He looked at Kaiba, challengingly.

"Yes, you'll be compensated. But that means that we need a deadline for you, Yugi. When do you think you can get a prototype ready?"

Yugi blushed.

That was right...Yugi hadn't had anything for Jonouchi to look at ever since he had announced his intent on creating a game for the contest in Germany. Jonouchi eyed his friend.

"Two months, I guess," Yugi said.

"Good. Jonouchi, my secretary will schedule a time for you to trial the game."

Kaiba downed the rest of his drink, and Jonouchi wondered just how many he had had. He ducked his head; he did not want to have that conversation with him. He was not his brother, his parent, or his boyfriend. Definitely not his boyfriend. But his thoughts didn't dwell on it as the food was brought to them.

"Finally!" Mokuba said and dug in.

Kaiba sighed. "Restraint is a virtue, Mokuba."

"But virtues make you into a stick in the mud." Mokuba nibbled at his rice. He wrinkled his face at Kaiba's salad. "Is that all you're eating?"

Jonouchi bit back a comment about Kaiba maintaining his delicate figure. That probably would have brought on some wild looks. He instead said, "Lay off, Mokuba. He'll eat what he wants. Just enjoy your own food."

He bit into his asparagus spear for good measure.

Across from him, Kaiba snorted. "One of the few things we agree on."

"Don't pick at a man's food. He's got his reasons. That's what I say."

Then Kaiba did something that Jonouchi thought he'd never see. Kaiba placed his elbow on the table and rested his jaw on his palm. A smirk was on his face-Jonouchi would have believed that he didn't know how to smile like a normal human being but Duelist Kingdom suggested otherwise. Jonouchi wasn't sure if Kaiba was about to make fun of him or not.

"Generally a good policy. Unfortunately Mokuba ignores it."

"Hey…"

Yugi smiled at Jonouchi.

How many drinks had Kaiba had and could all their interactions be pregamed so that his sourpuss mood was done away with? It was rare that Kaiba ever humored him with a cordial response. He hid a smile. He didn't want to screw this up. Maybe this was his way out of the doghouse.

"Eh...Mokuba, you should really take Jonouchi's advice. You wouldn't want your brother to have a say in everything you eat," Yugi said.

"But he's always had a say."

'But of course. I was taking care of you."

Mokuba sighed dramatically.

"He has a point, kiddo. He has basically been your older brother  _and_ your parent since forever." Jonouchi leaned back in his seat and was shocked when Kaiba nodded for a server to get Jonouchi another drink.

Mokuba crossed his arms. "And I was just about to invite you to test out a new game tomorrow, Jonouchi."

"Please, Mokuba, Jonouchi has other things he could do with his time."

"Sure. During the day. Are you free in the evenings, Jonouchi?"

"Jonouchi and I  _were_ going to help Grandpa do inventory at the shop, but I'm sure we'll be fine without him."

Kaiba and Jonouchi gaped at Yugi's brazen words. Sometimes, the pharaoh's influence on him was so obvious; Yugi seemed to have become a fusion of himself and Atem.

Mokuba grinned. "Awesome. And you can stay for dinner too, right, Seto?"

"Um...why not?" Kaiba said after a pause.

Why was he being so compliant to Mokuba's demands? Did they have a talk? Was Kaiba drunk? He didn't know, but this situation went from comfortable to tense in a matter of a few sentences. At least he didn't have to worry about dinner. Since moving into his own place, eating alone felt even lonelier. He welcomed the company, even if half of his company was Kaiba.

Mokuba insisted on giving Yugi and Jonouchi a ride home. At this point, Jonouchi could tell that Kaiba had given up and was riding out the rest of the evening. So he complied. He wasn't sure if he liked or was creeped out by the change in behavior. Somehow, the two sat next to each other. It reminded Jonouchi of how tall Kaiba was in comparison to him, how he could easily rest his head on his shoulder-stop. We don't think like that about Kaiba. Some guys,,,that's okay, but not Kaiba. In all honesty, Jonouchi wondered why he never felt a thing for Yugi, but he was still trying to figure out who exactly was his type now that he was out. Maybe Yugi was just a friend; his best friend, but still... Jonouchi shook the thoughts away. He didn't need to be thinking about these things right at that moment. Not with an audience, where Yugi, who always seemed to be able to read his mind, could observe and mistaken Jonouchi's behavior for shyness with Kaiba. He looked over to Yugi; although his leg was bouncing up and down, a sure sign he needed a cigarette, he was happily talking to Mokuba.

Warily, Jonouchi gave Kaiba a sidelong look. He said, "Thanks for dinner. You didn't have to."

"Good business requires hospitality."

Kaiba pressed his forehead onto the window. His body was rigid.

The irony of Kaiba's comment was not lost on Jonouchi, but with how the night had been, he figured that giving the CEO a break was the least he could do. Jonouchi searched for some words. Mokuba and Yugi were essentially ignoring them, and he imagined that it was totally on purpose. He didn't understand why it was so important for him and Kaiba to get along.

The atmosphere grew heavier once Yugi was dropped off at his place, and Mokuba sank into his seat, yawning. Next to Jonouchi, Kaiba also slouched slightly. Both brothers looked wiped out, and Jonouchi wondered if this was how it was at the end of every day. Both of them falling asleep once they found a quiet moment in the evening. It wasn't long before Mokuba was snoring softly, and Kaiba took off his jacket and draped it over his brother. Jonouchi could never get over how loving he was to his brother but a complete ass to everyone else.

"What?" Kaiba said suddenly.

"Nothing." Jonouchi didn't realize he was staring until it was too late. "Just that you really look after your brother."

"Why would it be any other way?"

"It shouldn't," Jonouchi said. "Sometimes it's hard to do it."

"I guess."

They sat in silence. Jonouchi hated the silence. Without thinking, he said, "I'm sorry for insulting you. Sometimes my mouth just goes."

He saw Kaiba grit his teeth but look at Mokuba. The CEO relaxed a little and said, "I think I got my point across. Don't do it again."

That was remote from what Jonouchi wanted, but he knew he wasn't getting an apology.

"Also, about Mokuba and tomorrow," Kaiba said. His eyes rested steadily on Jonouchi. "Don't feel pressured to come. The kid can take rejection."

Jonouchi smiled at that. "Loud and clear, but I can't turn down the offer of gaming at a mansion  _with_ a free meal."

"Is food all you think about?"

No. There were other things. Like how Kaiba seemed pretty civil at the moment. His guard was up, but not so much as he was slouching in his seat. At some point, he had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, exposing his prominent collar bones...And Jonouchi was staring at his collar bones. He felt himself blush. He blurted out, "No. I think of other stuff too."

"Like what?"

Jonouchi was officially weirded out. Kaiba was too talky.

"Well, obviously Duel Monsters-"

"Aside from Duel Monsters."

"What are you playing at?" Jonouchi demanded. He felt tense, like he was watching himself being dissected. "Normally, you just ignore me or insult me."

Kaiba growled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Trying to figure out what Mokuba likes about you. What else?"

Jonouchi felt himself blush again. Maybe actually getting to know and befriending him? That sounded reasonable. But Jonouchi said none of this. Instead he fumed in silence until the car pulled up to his complex. The entire time, he felt Kaiba's eyes on him. He wasn't sure how to take it. And he sure as hell wasn't going to draw attention to it. Jonouchi moved to get out of the car without a word to Kaiba, but he felt him grab his wrist. He jerked at the touch.

"I figured I should say this. You've done well for yourself as a duelist." Kaiba wasn't looking at Jonouchi anymore. "And I'm sorry about the last tournament. You were better than it though."

Silence. Kaiba released Jonouchi, and he said, "Good night," essentially shoving Jonouchi out the car and driving off.

Confused, Jonouchi stared off after the car. What had just happened?


	3. Morning Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya'll enjoy!

The pill bottle rattled as Kaiba poured twelve Ibuprofens into the palm of his hand. He popped them in his mouth and swallowed them dry. He tossed the pill bottle into his end table and burrowed himself into his bed, staring at the time. It was 5:30 in the morning on a weekend. 

 

Last night was a blur. After returning home from dinner, Mokuba had found energy to talk about Jonouchi.

 

“See? There’s no reason to hate him, and you showed it. Can’t you just put aside your bad blood and at least be more civil with him?”

 

“I don’t want to talk about Jonouchi.” He hadn’t wanted to even  _ think _ about Jonouchi. His strange thoughts about the blond that night had disturbed him enough. It had to have been the alcohol.

 

“Why not? You got along so well with him,” Mokuba had said.

 

“Because I’m tired,” Kaiba had said as he removed his tie completely. At the time, he knew very well that he wasn’t going to bed anytime soon, but Mokuba didn’t have to know that. “Now get on to bed. It’s late.”

 

The strange thoughts had continued throughout the night as Kaiba had an extended nightcap, drinking whiskey until the early hours of the morning. What disturbed Kaiba was how his first thoughts when he saw Jonouchi that night was how nice he looked dressed up. It was amazing how getting cleaned up changed a person, but Kaiba didn’t want to go from hating Jonouchi to obsessing over how he looked in a matter of a few hours. There was something very wrong with that. His distress pushed on throughout the night up to this very moment as he curled up in the bed staring at the clock. He wasn’t  _ that _ way. He didn’t want to be. But he couldn’t deny how his interests fell on men rather than women. It was a phase, and it was just unfortunate that he realized he was in such a phase due to Jonouchi the night before. Maybe he just felt that way because he knew that Jonouchi was a homosexual. Just convenience. That must’ve been it.  _ Just a phase. _

 

Kaiba’s eyes drooped. He was feeling the entirety of the Ibuprofen he had taken. The world around him felt like silk, almost as if he were on a hammock. There was a twinge of pain in his chest, a fleeting surge of panic, but it was insignificant. The Ibuprofen did the work. Kaiba, however, couldn’t stay in bed. If he fell asleep now, he would sleep late into the afternoon. It wasn’t exactly something he wanted to model to Mokuba. Inhaling, Kaiba steeled himself against the impending swimming of his head as he got up. It didn’t help. He hunched over himself and cradled his head in his hands. At least he didn’t feel any pains or the need to vomit. 

 

That was step one. Kaiba glanced up at his bathroom door. If he could take a hot shower and down some coffee, he would be fine. That was step two; he just needed to do it. He kicked off his sheets and swung his legs to the side of his bed. His bare feet touched the plush carpet, and he forced himself to stand.

 

Shower.

 

Coffee. 

 

Maybe with a shot in it. He needed to get things out of his mind, and he needed to be in a good enough mood to handle both Mokuba and Jonouchi that evening. He could only imagine the high energy. It was the weekend, a period of time when Kaiba tried to relax a little, though it was always a laughable attempt at it.

 

There was a knock on his door. Who in God’s green earth was at his door at this hour? He wanted them fired. 

 

“What?” he croaked out.

 

“Seto, it’s me. Can I come in?”

 

This gave him more time to orient himself. He cleared his throat and called him in. Sitting back on his bed, Kaiba watched as Mokuba walked in and found a spot next to him. The raven-haired teen said, “So what time did you get to bed last night?”

 

“Late. Why are you up?”

 

“I could ask you the same thing. You look awful.”

 

Kaiba didn’t want to even see himself.

 

“Anyway, I couldn’t sleep. It’s that time of year again,” Mokuba said, his hands wrapped around each other. He stared at the floor. It dawned on Kaiba. It was October. The month Kaiba Gozaburo threw himself from the Kaiba Corp. building and the month that Kaiba Seto became the official CEO of Kaiba Corp. “I wanted to check if you were okay, but…”

 

Hesitant, Mokuba glanced up at Kaiba. 

 

Kaiba looked across the room, not staring at anything in particular. He fought back the slow-motion memory of Gozaburo bellowing at the board members, at him, at Mokuba. How he ran through the window and plummeted. The initial shock of the movement. And then Kaiba running to the broken window only to see and hear a wailing car with a speck of burgundy, the color of Gozaburo’s suit, embedded in it. He remembered Mokuba rushing to his side and him blocking the child’s view from the top. Kids never needed to see that. 

 

No wonder he was feeling so shitty.

 

“Seto?”

 

“Nevermind me,” Kaiba said, closing his eyes. He inhaled. “There’s too much to do for us to dwell on that man.”

 

“You’re right.” Mokuba patted on his thighs and gave Kaiba a long gaze. “But you’d tell me if something was bothering you, right?”

 

“I tell you what I need to tell you,” Kaiba said simply. Mokuba scowled, but Kaiba placed a hand on the top of his brother’s head and ruffled his hair. He finally stood, as gracefully as he could. He suspected that he was still a little woozy from earlier. “Let me shower. I can’t sleep.”

 

“Can we have an American-style breakfast?”

 

“Of course not. That’s just disgusting.”

 

“Come on, Seto. I hear it’s the best way to cure a hangover.”

 

“I’m not hungover.”

 

“Sure. And Yugi is seven feet tall.”

 

“Fine.” He couldn’t lie. It sounded good, and for the most part, he felt there was some grain of truth in the idea of those breakfasts. Kaiba strode across his room to his closet and grabbed some jeans and a button-up shirt. “Go get ready. And  _ you  _ find a place. I’m not in the mood.”

 

Mokuba hopped off the bed and rushed out the room. A wide grin was on his face. Kaiba smiled at that. His brother, even if he was more combative, was still someone who pushed him onward. He had no idea what he would do without him. He’d have no one, except maybe Isono, and that was just pathetic. All the more reason to keep the kid happy.


End file.
